Household Hazardous Waste Drop-Off Locations

There are a lot of products that we use every day around our homes, such as batteries, household cleaners, cosmetics and medications, that need to be disposed of in a special way. These items are classified as "household hazardous waste" (HHW), and should never be discarded in a sink, storm drain or in your household trash -- instead the items should be taken to a household hazardous waste collection center. Hypodermic needles, syringes, lancets or other "sharps" that might be used at home for certain medical conditions can be harmful, too, if thrown in the trash -- safely dispose of these sharps by following safe disposal instructions.

We can't simply throw HHW away because if these items were buried in a landfill, they could potentially contaminate our groundwater with harmful ingredients. The same goes for dumping them in the storm drains or sewers -- storm drains go directly to the ocean, leading to contamination of our coastal waters, and our sewer systems contain beneficial bacteria that treats our sewage, which some of the household wastes could kill.

Waste Management of San Diego operates one household hazardous waste (HHW) drop-off location, located in El Cajon, which accepts HHW by appointment on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. This page also includes information about other local HHW centers. Go to the Web page for our buyback center for more information about recycling.

Further precautions must be taken to handle materials such as ammunition, explosives, biological or medical waste, asbestos, radioactive waste, business-generated waste and compressed gas cylinders -- should you require the disposal of these types of materials, please consult with a hazardous waste disposal company, or check the telephone directory under "Waste Disposal - Hazardous."

El Cajon Recycling Center

Hours of OperationThe second and fourth Saturdays of each month by appointment only between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. -- please contact customer service at (619) 596-5100 to schedule an appointment.

Appointments required?Yes, for the drop-off of household hazardous waste on scheduled Saturdays. E-waste, universal waste and household batteries can be dropped off at any time without an appointment at Waste Management's Recycling Center. For HHW drop-off, please contact customer service at (619) 596-5100 to schedule an appointment, which are booked for the second and fourth Saturdays of the month, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Who can drop off HHW?Proof of residency in California is required.

How many items can be dropped off with each appointment?Up to 15 gallons or 125 pounds per visit.